Good News in History, January 11

110 years ago today, a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River for two billion years was established as the Grand Canyon National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt after he visited the awe-inspiring site seven years earlier. 277 miles long (446 km), and over a mile deep (1,857 m), the Grand Canyon in Arizona, exposes layer after layer of geological history. The Pueblo people considered the canyon a holy site, and it was viewed by the first European in 1540— García López de Cárdenas. (1908)

MORE Good News on this Date:

Popular Mechanics magazine was published for the first time (1902)

Insulin was first used to treat diabetes in a human patient. (1922)

Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California (1935)

First recorded case of snowfall in Los Angeles, California (1949)

The Beatles released their first single in the United States, a 45-rpm record featuring Please, Please Me (1963)

The U.S. surgeon general announced that smoking causes lung cancer, shifting attitudes toward tobacco and leading to a 50 percent drop in the number of American smokers (1964)

English chess player Nigel Short at age 14 became the youngest ever International Chess Master, four years before becoming the youngest grandmaster in the world (1980)

300,000 marched in favor of Lithuanian independence (1990)

Illinois Governor Ryan said he would grant clemency to all death row inmates due to his belief that the death penalty could not be administered fairly and with certainty (2003)

Sean Penn threw an annual gala that raised $6 million from celebrity friends for his J/P Haitian Relief Organization (2014)